Low Carb Bars

Low Carb Snacks & Bars

Everyone needs a little sweet treat once in a while. Unfortunately, most conventional snacks are loaded with sugar, salt, or both and are carbohydrate-dense. Therefore, not really a recipe designed for those who care about good nutrition and maintaining optimal health. Luckily, with the increasing popularity of low-carb eating, including the now famous keto and paleo diets, there has been an increase in the availability of low-carb snacks, most notably, low-carb snack bars.

Indeed, low-carb bars are now plentiful on the market in a range of iterations featuring whole food ingredients, such as nuts and nut butters, chia, sunflower seeds, coconut, cocoa, collagen, Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), and other healthy fats plus many other healthy nutrients all without added sugar, artificial colours or flavours, or unnecessary fillers. 

Low carb bars also typically offer a solid dose of protein, usually at least 10g, and ideally, 15 to 20g, depending on your health goals, weight loss, building lean muscle mass, or training for an event. Keto-friendly bars are generally sweetened with alternative sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit extract. These extracts do not contribute any calories or carbs because they pass through the digestive tract undigested, so they do not affect glycemia.

Benefits of Low Carb Snacks

• Healthy, Low-Sugar/Low-Carb Snack
• Helps Promote Weight Loss
• Improves Blood Sugar Management
• Provides a Healthy Boost of Energy
• Satisfies Sugar Cravings

Why Choose Low Carb Snacks?

According to Statistics Canada, Canadians consume, on average, 57.1 g of added sugars, 67.1 g of free sugars, and 105.6 g of total sugars daily. The consumption of total sugars for the majority of Canadians far exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations. This increases our risk of diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions that occur together which can increase risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. With this in mind, it’s safe to say that low-carb bars are ideal for everyone and could easily replace high sugar/high carb bars and other snacks. 

Final Thoughts

It would be best to read the food labels closely when shopping for a low-carb bar. Choose bars made chiefly from whole foods, such as oils, spices, natural sweeteners, nuts, and seeds, and ideally select those that are organic and non-GMO. Avoid bars with a long list of ingredients you don't recognize, such as artificial sweeteners or preservatives, as these indicate that the bar is heavily processed.